Systems and methods for televising events, such as live sporting events, are known and have been in place for at least a half century, and for nearly all of that time analog video signal generation and processing equipment was not only the preferred approach to television broadcasting, it was the only approach to television broadcasting.
Within the North American broadcast market, NTSC analog video signals had been the standard for the broadcast industry since 1940, when the Federal Communications Commission adopted the standard. The processing of NTSC analog video signals into digital signals, such as DS-3 digital video transport signals has been done for a number of years. However, more recently a number of alternate digital signaling technologies have come into use, and have changed the dynamics of how event broadcasts are relayed from their site of generation, such as sports stadiums, to local loop providers. Those alternate signaling technologies include ASI digital video signals, SDI digital video transport signals, and HD-SDI digital video transport signals.
The multiplicity of signal types, i.e., different signal types used for different events, and the use of multiple signal types for single events, created difficulties in configuration control. Not only was the state of the relay equipment in an unknown state from event to event, configuring the equipment in time for event broadcasting became costly, cumbersome, and uncertain.
Accordingly, as market pressures continue to demand higher quality, live, reliable broadcasts (available world wide), challenges remained and needs persist for improvements in methods and apparatuses for use in managing, monitoring, and deploying broadcast relay equipment to meet the increasing usage demands for the equipment.